In one of my recent JMT Trip Planning video’s I received a comment asking about our permit and plans for our JMT hike this summer. Now that I think about it, while I have talked about these things here and there, I have not taken the time to talk about how we got our permits, or our specific plans, in one place… So, here they are! Continue reading →

In all of my planning for this summer’s 2018 JMT hike, picking which shelter I would carry was one of the easiest choices I had… mostly! It shouldn’t be any surprise that I chose my Zpacks Hexamid Solo Plus Tarp & Hexanet, which is the same set-up that I have been using for the past 4 years (although, early last year (2017) I did pick up the updated model of the Hexamid tarp.) I will admit though, I did think about picking up a Zpacks Duplex tent, but in the end I decided not too. I love that my set-up is modular, not to mention that was another $600 I could spend on other things! Continue reading →

A few days ago I posted my thoughts on the Altra Lone Peak 3.0 shoes, which I had been wearing for the past 5 months. The gist of it was that I loved them, however, in a half-size larger than my normal size, the 3.0’s weren’t necessarily what I was looking for to wear on my JMT hike later this year. The Lone Peak 3.0’s are just a little too big in the toe box for me… But, based on the reviews I had read on the updated Lone Peak 3.5’s, they were now a little smaller in the toe box… A lot of folks seemed to be unhappy about this change, but it sounded like just the thing I was looking for! Continue reading →

So, about 2 weeks ago I locked down the permits for our summer 2018 JMT hike. We will be heading northbound (NOBO) out of Horseshoe Meadows via the Cottonwood Lakes trail, and taking the better part of a month to make our way down to Yosemite (woohoo!) If anyone reading this knows me, you know I like to take pictures and shoot video… in which I talk… a lot! Considering how epic this trip is going to be, I need to make sure that I have plenty of juice to keep my gadgets going so that I can accomplish this… So in this installment of my JMT planning series, I will talk about the electronics I plan to carry, and how I plan to keep them going… Continue reading →

Back in August, 2017 I picked up my first (two) pair(s) of Altra’s… specifically the Lone Peak 3.0’s. I had shunned the Lone Peaks from years back simply because so many folks complained so much about how little traction they had. However, with my 2018 JMT hike drawing nearer, I knew that I would need to replace my dying Inov-8’s, so I started researching shoes again… Continue reading →

Early last Thursday morning my son and I woke up around 3:30 am (Central time), made some coffee, loaded up the car and drove off. About five and a half hours later we were standing in my buddy Craig Smith’s house near Atlanta, GA. That afternoon we had some beer & pizza for lunch with Craig, Benny Braden (Plug-it In Hikes) and Ben Smith (from GooseFeet Gear), then loaded all of our gear in the back of Craig’s truck, and drove south… Continue reading →